Data for Phenotypic variance in a potentially honest acoustic signal: the courtship display of the Cape Clapper Lark (Mirafra apiata)

Courtship displays provide important insight into sexual selection, evolution, and the roles of communication signals in behavioral ecology. Understanding to what extent displays are honest indicators of individual quality can provide insight into the reliability of acoustic cues that females use to discriminate between potential mates. We used the Cape Clapper Lark’s (Mirafra apiata) elaborate acoustic aerial display to assess its honesty. We quantified the between-individual repeatability of the bioacoustics of the display (claps, call), and tested for its correlation with proxies of territory quality (area, arthropod prey biomass, and Protea plant number)., The song and clapping duration showed moderate repeatability, and the number of Protea was negatively associated with the clap duration, and the number of claps. There were no associations between the call parameters, the territory size, and prey biomass. Wing clapping thus could be a predictor of territory quality and our study provides a platform for future investigation of no-vocal acoustic signaling in birds.